Jabra Panacast 50PRODUCT REVIEW
Jabra Panacast 50
Huddle rooms can mean close quarters. When multiple colleagues are clustered in front of a video conferencing product, though, it can be difficult to capture everyone with a simple USB webcam. Even sophisticated pan-tilt-zoom cameras likely aren’t equipped to cover such a wide angle. The Jabra PanaCast 50 presents a solution to this small-space dilemma, with three built-in cameras intended to capture a view of everyone that’s both a close-up and a wide, establishing shot. How does the PanaCast 50 perform? Does it hold its own in the small video bar category? Read on for our Profound Technologies team’s impressions.
Key Specifications
- Certifications Microsoft Teams, Zoom
- Appliance Mode No
- USB Mode Yes
- Built-in Video 3 fixed cameras Supported resolutions: 3840×1080 at 30fps Zoom: 6x digital Total room coverage: 180 degrees horizontal, 54 degrees vertical
- Built-in Microphones 8
- Built-in Speakers 4
- Displays supported 0
Use Case for the Jabra Panacast 50
With the PanaCast 50, Jabra is addressing a specific need in some huddle spaces. Relying on digital zoom is not ideal for larger rooms, and the built-in speakers on the PanaCast 50 are not pumping out volume. At the same time, it’s still not intended for a single user at a desk – its three cameras and panoramic view are made for a huddle. The ideal use case for the Jabra PanaCast 50 would involve a smaller display, a table for no more than about four people pushed up against the wall underneath the display, with minimal need for bring-your-own-device cabling, since guests are seated so close to the PanaCast 50. From closer distances, each of the PanaCast 50’s cameras can comfortably frame each participant, or it can frame everyone in a panoramic shot that’s wider than a typical 16:9 aspect ratio. Ultimately, the PanaCast 50 is a compelling set of tech and features for more intimate huddle rooms.
Price range
MSRP: $1,447 Chester Springs AV price: $1,447 At $1,447, the Jabra PanaCast 50 is priced similarly to other video bars intended for smaller rooms. “I haven’t tested the Logitech Huddle ($1,699), so I don’t know how to compare it (to the PanaCast 50), but they’re going to be in the same class. If you bought this device, it would perform well enough that you wouldn’t regret the money you spent,” Profound Technologies co-founder Brett Fisher said. Other small conferencing all-in-ones may lack some of the features of the Jabra PanaCast 50, but are even more aggressively priced. “The Meetup 2 is at $899, significantly lower,” sales engineer Jesse Cohen said.
Build Quality
“It felt pretty sturdy when I was holding it,” Linda said. “It seems high-tech with multiple cameras on the front.” “The build quality is OK,” Jesse said. “It’s not an unpleasant design. … There are a few ways to mount a camera onto a video bar and they’re all aesthetically weird, but this one’s no worse than anyone else.” “I like the mesh fabric grille of the speaker,” Brett said. “I think it’s very aesthetically pleasing, but I do think it’s going to collect dust. “Ventilation is done in a much more elegant way, on competing products,” he added, “whereas this feels like it may have been an afterthought.” “Compared to other products, the camera literally, physically stands out. … The camera in other devices blends in, and you forget about it,” Brett said.
Installation experience
From an installation standpoint, Brett found the Jabra to be straightforward. “The wall mount seems like it’s pretty easy to install. I would think that physically mounting it to the wall would go very smoothly. It seems like the wires would not get in the way of the mounting,” Brett said.
Industry standards
The PanaCast 50 supports a standard USB 3.0 or 2.0 connection, with a USB C port on the rear panel. There is no HDMI output or HDMI passthrough, so end users will need to make sure there’s a connection from their PC or laptop to the display. Jabra included an Ethernet connection to enable remote management, allowing admins to adjust settings from their PCs and push firmware updates. Although the PanaCast 50 supports Bluetooth, this is a low-energy connectivity design to augment the remote management capabilities; it cannot pair for audio.
Audio and Video Quality
“I probably wouldn’t do it if I were walking and talking,” Linda said, noting somewhat choppy transitions as one of the PanaCast’s cameras reframed a shot. “Any meeting with multiple people where one or two of them come and go, you’re going to get that jarring cutaway, which is something people really don’t like,” Jesse said. “So this is fine for small meetings where everyone is there from beginning to end.” “When there’s multiple people in the room, and the digital zoom doesn’t have to engage, it looks fine,” Brett said, “but when it’s a single person and that digital zoom kicks in to frame them, that person looks blurry. You can see the digital zoom and its limitations. “I would liken it to a webcam that you would have at your desk,” he added. “And in those situations, you’re so close to your webcam that you don’t have the digital zoom activating as much as you would in a room where you’re five to six feet away from the camera.” “It does correct for low light automatically – that’s a positive I would give it,” Brett said. “It does auto-framing of multiple people reasonably well.” Other times, the PanaCast would briefly switch to a wide shot before reframing a participant. “While I can hear (voices) clearly, the quality is pretty low,” Jesse said. “It’s not garbled, but it’s what you’d experience with a low-bitrate audio file or streaming. The clarity is fine; the quality is low.” “On the PanaCast, I hear both the room dynamics and a thin voice,” Brett said. “When you put those two together, it makes it extra thin. But again, for the price point, it performs well.”
Standout features
”I liked the sound from (the far) end,” Linda said, also citing the auto speaker framing as a positive. Jesse praised the design as a “decent look overall for a small video bar,” but said the decision to reframe a shot without switching to a different camera stood out in a negative way. According to Brett, the PanaCast 50 excels “when you’re sitting close to the camera – picking up people on either side of the room, in addition to the person at the head of the table. That’s what a huddle room system should do.”
Reasons to buy
End users would appreciate the Jabra PanaCast 50’s set of features in a smaller space, based on the value for the money. “For smaller spaces, or for smaller presentations,” Linda said, the PanaCast would be a good fit. “(It could connect) offices for people who work remotely,” she added, pointing to the flexibility of BYOD. “It looks professional, and performs a small huddle room job well, Brett said. “The price point is not anything abnormal, and aesthetically you can put it in a lot of environments. … It will blend in with office decor easily.” “They would buy this product specifically for price,” Jesse said. “This is strictly a budget product that gets the job done. … It seems reliable.”
Reasons to reconsider
Our panelists unanimously said a larger space or acute audio need would be reasons to reconsider. “In bigger spaces, if you’re walking around, you’ll want something that is going to flow a bit more,” Linda said. Jesse pointed to the audio quality as a major reason to reconsider. “Regardless of the size of the room, (users’) biggest concern is audio quality instead of video quality,” he added. “I think if you need more than six feet, or maybe more than 4 to 5 people, you would start to push the limitations of a product in this price range,” Brett said.
Conclusion
Our Profound Technologies panel was impressed with the Jabra PanaCast 50’s video capabilities from short distances, the design and aesthetics, and overall value for the money. By contrast, the digital zoom and audio performance were pain points, especially when considering larger huddle rooms. Still, the PanaCast 50 occupies a logical niche in the market, and its wide-angle view for participants who are very close makes it unique in the category. For bring-your-own-device applications in smaller huddle rooms, the Jabra PanaCast 50 is worth a look. Check out how our team scored the PanaCast 50 by category: